Today was going to be about seeing the 'real' Daintree rainforest so we had the Daintree Village and Cape Tribulation on the agenda.
We got to the Daintree Village naively expecting a little quaint town with some cute shops, maybe? There was nothing much to see there but a General Store and an Information Centre. Surely there had to be more to the world-renowned Daintree Rainforest than this?!
I enquired at the Information Centre about self-guided walks to see the rainforest. The lady at the counter told us of a 2km walk we could do. We would see the rainforest and a swimming hole. Swimming hole? What about crocodiles?! At this stage we had been in the region long enough to ask this vital question! She assured us there were none - the water was too cold. I love swimming holes so I was sold. We HAD to do this walk. We paid $30 for a family pass, she handed over a photocopied trail map, gave us directions on how to get to the start of the Kingfisher Trail at the Riverhome Cottages and we were off.
We got to the beginning of the trail and there was absolutely NO ONE there! I usually like going to places that aren't so 'touristy' but this was a bit scary. Out in the middle of nowhere, just the 5 of us, on foot!
We took our stuff - water bottles, insect spray, sun block, towel, camera bag, kids' spare clothes, food - and started to walk. We weren't packed very lightly but we were prepared. We had barely stepped through a gate that marked the beginning of our walk and we were attacked by mosquitos - big ones, and lots of them from every direction. Out came the insect repellant as I frantically sprayed everyone as we were getting attacked. Phew! Ok... now that we have that sorted, let's keep walking.
We continued to follow the trail through grasslands. A bit odd since we were expecting a rainforest but we kept going. Maybe eventually we'd hit the rainforest. A third of the way through we encountered a little stream we had to cross. Uh-oh.... we all had socks and running shoes on, except for Bee who had her Crocs on (smart child!). It was a scene straight out of the children's picture book "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen. I reminded the girls about this when they started whinging about crossing it and getting their feet wet. It's a stream... we can't go over it, we can't go under it, we have to go THROUGH it!
Hubby just walked straight through it dragging Mig behind him... shoes and all. Cat tried to tiptoe her way across on the rocks and tree branches but it eventually got too deep so she had to step in with her socks and shoes. Bee just walked straight through with her Crocs. I was the last one. I couldn't stand the thought of squishy socks and shoes so I took them off and walked across in my bare feet. On the other side, Hubby rolled his eyes in exasperation as he watched me towel dry my feet and put my socks and shoes back on. I just gave him a "Ha!" grin because I was now the smart one with dry feet.
Further down the trail we encountered a herd of cattle that stopped me dead in my tracks. They look harmless when you're in a car and they're grazing in some distant field... but we weren't in a car and they weren't at a distance! We had to walk through this herd! I nervously asked Hubby if cows were known to attack people. He reassured me they didn't, unless there was a bull in the herd and only if you were in red. GREAT! Both Hubby and I had red shirts on! We cautiously walked along the path and held our breath. Hubby took the lead with Bee while I was behind carrying Mig with Cat by my side. Thankfully they started to move aside as we approached. I have never felt so vulnerable to nature as we did then. Ok, well maybe not. Snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef gave me the same feeling. What on earth were we going to do if they decided to attack us? We had nowhere to run.
We started asking ourselves if we were ever going to find this rainforest. So far it had been a few trees, grassfields, a stream, and some cows. Were we ever going to get there? Then... we hit another stream. Here we go again...
Hubby walked through... this time carrying Mig (thank goodness!). Cat already had soaking shoes and socks so she just walked straight through. Bee's feet and shoes had already dried up so she just walked straight through. Again, I was last. I started to remove my socks and shoes as Hubby just grunts in exasperation from the other side. "C'mon! Is this going to be a ritual every time now?", he shouts. A bit embarrassed for being such a princess about it after telling the girls to stop being little princesses, I reluctantly put my shoes back on and crossed. Yuck!
Further up I turned to Hubby and asked if we should just turn back. We had come so far and still hadn't seen a rainforest. It was starting to feel like a big waste of time. We looked at the map which told us we were almost at the swimming hole so we decided to continue. We walked through some trees (hardly the rainforest I expected) and could start to hear the rush of water. We were excited to be nearing the end. Further up and through the scrub we could see it... a huge waterfall into a rock pool. It was worth the walk.
We all rushed to the waters edge to feel the water. At this stage we were all hot and sweaty so the cool water was very refreshing. Hubby took his shirt off and waded straight in splashing the cold water on himself. I quickly took of my socks and shoes (to let them dry in the sun!) but was a bit more cautious about our surroundings. We had the place to ourselves. No one in sight. What dangers were lurking in this water or by the river banks? Nope. I wasn't going in. I climbed on a rock and put Mig (who I considered to be a perfect 'bite-size' portion for a crocodile) on my lap. That's where we stayed. Cat kept telling me I was paranoid about the whole croc thing but I couldn't help it. I know nothing about these creatures and being in their territory felt like swimming in the middle of the ocean waiting to get bitten by a shark.
I brought some lunch out and the girls started to throw their bread crusts into the water to feed the fish. Pretty soon there were so many, big ones too. Then a 'kid' turtle and 'baby' turtle swam close for some food too. They were so cute and the girls loved feeding them. We stayed for a while enjoying our surroundings and the sound of the waterfall (but also because we dreaded the long walk back to the car!).
After a few family photos, it was time to head back... back through the grassfields, through the streams, through the herd of cattle, through the mosquito forest, through the gate and back to the safety of our car.
We were all exhausted and decided to head back to the hotel leaving Cape Tribulation for another day.
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